A Mirkwood Summer
by Faerlain
Summary: Fourth in Brothers series. The Royal Family is struggling after two deaths, and many arguments are about. Orc numbers are on the rise, and so Legolas decides to take evasive action and in the process, could be putting himself in severe danger. UPDATED
1. Not Funny!

**New story peoples! This is set after the other three in this series, and is called _A Mirkwood Summer. _I hope you all like it. Reviews very welcome please! **

_**Faerlain**_

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_**A Mirkwood Summer**_

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_**Chapter 1: Not Funny!**_

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"Honestly, can you not do anything for yourself?"

"No, and you know I can't." He grinned. "Nauralad, I'm _blind_, remember."

She scowled at him. "Only in one eye may I remind you. Being partially sighted does not stop you from walking from one end of the room to the other."

"But my leg hurts!"

"Really Ladrenîl, you are a hopeless case."

Legolas had walked into the room, and he passed over the jug of water Ladrenîl had been pleading his sister to take over to him. She muttered something, closed her book and walked out. Legolas raised an eyebrow at his older brother and took her empty chair. "Leg still playing up then is it?"

"What do you think?" He put his foot back down on the floor from where it had been previously resting on a stool. "I'm just trying to use any excuse to stay inside."

His brother shook his head. "And you are meant to be setting the rest of us a good example. I think not. Dear me, with you at the head of our army, surely all of Mirkwood is doomed." He helped himself to a glass of water.

"Oh stop the dramatics Legolas. We have you." He paused. "Well…"

"No insults please. I have just saved you from a nasty confrontation with our father."

"What have I done now?"

Legolas leant forward, elbows on knees and frowned. "'Ladrenîl appears to be abandoning his duties,'" he said seriously in a mocking voice representing their father. "'I have not seen him on guard duty for nearly two weeks. What is going on with your brother Legolas?' 'Well father, as far as I know, Ladrenîl was seriously injured in the nether regions during the last round he was on.' 'Oh, I see. Well, make sure he is back on duty as soon as possible. You and the others are doing far too much work…'"

"Ok, you can shut up now!" He scowled. "'Injured in the nether regions…' Bloody hell Legs!"

Legolas was laughing. "Sorry brother."

"He's going to think I am unable to bear children now or something. Honestly, it was just an arrow to the groin…Shut up! It's not funny!"

Legolas was laughing so hard he had tears rolling down his face. He wiped away them away, grinning. "Sorry Ladrenîl, but it is just too comical. You are going to suffer with this for centuries you understand."

He growled something incomprehensible and thumped his head back against the back of the chair. "I'll be back out tomorrow," he said eventually. "You can have a day off."

"Why thank you dear brother." He downed his glass and stood up. "A little father therapy always goes a long way." He winked and left, still chuckling.

----

Lothriel had her hands on her hips and was thinking. Very hard.

"This place is a mess," she eventually deduced.

Esgalloth raised an eyebrow. "Well that's an understatement and a half."

"Oh be quiet sister. This place was fine until I left. What on earth happened?"

The older Princess shrugged. "Whenever you go travelling off somewhere, the gardens you nurture tend to fall into ruins. The rest of us never know what we're meant to be doing in here."

"Did you bother asking a gardener?"

"No."

"That much is obvious." She rolled up her sleeves. "We had better start working then."

"I'm not pulling up weeds!"

"Fine! You go back inside and play with your medicines. I shall do it myself." She knelt down on the grass and started pulling weeds out of the soil.

Esgalloth just shook her head. The youngest Princess never ceased to amaze her. If she wasn't gallivanting off to Rivendell with friends, she out in the Royal Gardens, sowing seeds or pulling things up. She would come in several hours later, covered in dirt with a huge grin on her face.

And the hilarious thing was, that the other members of their family actually _encouraged _her! Legolas was always asking how things in the garden were going. Ladrenîl would ask after the twins when she arrived back from Rivendell, and then their father would ask for news from Elrond. It was utter madness to let her have so much freedom, but only Esgalloth held that point of view. No one else seemed inclined to agree with her.

Esgalloth herself was now working with Nauralad in the healing wards. She was now qualified to help people whenever they came in with wounds and maladies. Let the others go off and 'play with their' weapons or flowers. She was perfectly suited to the healing wards, thank you very much.

Lothriel scowled as her sister walked away. Esgalloth was so above herself. Just because she could heal people just by putting some disgusting smelling cream on their lacerations, didn't mean she was a miracle worker. Sometimes, you had to be in tune with nature to feel at your very best. And that was how Lothriel found herself. Whenever she travelled or spent time outside, she was perfectly content. People like Esgalloth, who couldn't understand how Lothriel felt, just annoyed her.

Lothriel was now well into her seventh century. She was still the baby of the family, but had developed into a mature and beautiful Elf Princess. Her oldest brother was now 1,524, and she could never resist teasing him about that fact. Ladrenîl sometimes loathed being the oldest of 6 siblings.

Though of course it used to be 8. Lothriel sighed to herself as she thought of her two departed siblings – Hithaer and Sîladiel. She brushed her fingers over the petals of a deep red rose, a small smile gracing her features as she touched it. One older brother, one older sister…gone just like that. It was so hard without them.

Missing Sîladiel's funeral had pained her deeply. She spent many a day down by her sister's grave, just talking. She kept the flowers down there nice and neat, fresh. No good having dead flowers on a grave, it made them looked unloved. She would sometimes squeeze in the small gap between the two graves, and talk to both her brother and sister. It made her feel at peace and close to them.

Legolas understood her weird ways. But then again, Legolas had always understood her. They were closer than anything, like an arrow to the bow. Only death could separate them, and that wasn't about to happen anytime soon. She hoped.

She knelt down beside a flower bed and started pulling up the weeds that had started to choke the lilies that were there. There were in full bloom, large, white heads swaying from side to side in the gentle breeze. Lothriel made sure the ground around the bottom of their stems was clear of weeds before pouring a little water on each one.

The sun was up high and burning down on the top of her head. She sat up after a while, pulling her back and up into a rough ponytail, securing it with a leather band from around her wrist. At least that would keep the blonde locks from falling into her face and obstructing her view.

And so she worked for the next couple of hours, gradually moving around her garden and taking up all the weeds that had grown since she had been away. She forgot all about her annoying sister and focused all her energy and concentration into making her beloved gardens look beautiful again.

When she had been out there for a while, Legolas came wandering down to look for her. He had barely seen her since she had returned the day before, and wanted to talk to her. He spotted her knelt down beside a bed of roses, and he smiled to himself as he watched her work. Sleeves rolled up to her elbows, hair tied back, dirt smudges all over her…she looked just like any other gardener. He found it quite amusing. She was also wearing a pair of leggings and an old shirt of Ladrenîl's…it was rather large on her slender body.

He went over to her and crouched down, fingers brushing the petals of a light pink rose. She turned to him with a smile on her face. "Morning."

"Afternoon," he corrected, glancing up at the sun. "You missed lunch."

"Did I? Oh well…" She furiously tugged on a dandelion, nearly falling backwards as it popped out the ground. "I wasn't hungry anyway."

"We missed your company," he told her, sitting cross legged and watching as she carried on working.

"You mean it was a family affair?" She looked at him incredulously.

He shrugged. "Well…Ladrenîl and I missed you…"

"Exactly. Adar was still in his study. Naneth was probably out walking with friends, and our siblings are all off doing their own thing. We never have lunch together."

"But you will be at dinner won't you?"

"Of course. I'll be hungry by then." She grinned at him.

He returned the look and laughed softly. "Do you want me to bring you something out now?"

"A drink of water would be nice."

"I meant food-wise."

She just shrugged and started on another dandelion. "Whatever."

He sighed and got to his feet, brushing the grass of his leggings. "I'll be back shortly."

Whilst her brother was gone, Lothriel spotted a ladybird sat on a small stone beside her. Carefully, she lifted the tiny insect off and placed her down in the flower bed. It would come to less harm there after all.

It pleased her to see insects scurrying around her gardens. It made them look more alive and lived in.

Legolas was back a few minutes later with a flask of cool water and a couple of pieces of fruit. She accepted it all gratefully and they sat together for a while, drinking in the warmth and sunlight whilst they had the time. It was rare nowadays that the children of Thranduil ever spent much time together. They were always off doing their own things, as Lothriel had so rightfully stated earlier.

Lothriel started pointing out things to her brother, such as where she planning to place shrubs when the winter time eventually came around. He would nod in agreement and listen attentively as she rambled on, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm and her voice increasing in speed as more and more ideas came into her head.

It was always like this with his younger sister. She would get one idea into her head, and that one idea would develop into a hundred more, her mind working too fast for her mouth to keep up.

Legolas smiled as she carried on, pointing at where things were going to go and what she'd like to do with it all next year. After about ten minutes of this, he silenced her simply by placing his hand over her mouth. She turned sheepish eyes to him, and when he moved it away again, she was smiling softly. "Sorry…I do tend to babble on a little bit don't I?"

"I love it when you babble on about something you love so much," he told her. "But give your voice a rest for a few minutes…you'll wear it out otherwise."

Lothriel laughed softly and took another sip of water, offering it next to Legolas. He took it with a smile and they sat in silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts.

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**Well, I hope you liked that. Have a good Xmas everyone if I don't update before then, and see you all soon! **

_**Faerlain**_


	2. Not Your Servant

**Happy 2007 everybody!! Hope you all had a good holiday. Thanks for reviews (yes, all ONE of them). If you do read this story, some reviews would be appreciated. Cos they make me smile like. _Grin. _**

_**Faerlain**_

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_**Chapter 2: Not your servant**_

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Nauralad rolled her eyes in despair as she listened to her sister grumbling on and on about Lothriel.

"…Thinks she is so much better than us! She spends all day, every day outside in that stupid little garden of hers whilst the rest of us toil away inside doing things that are actually worthwhile to this kingdom. Just because she's the youngest…she gets away with everything. It's so unfair…"

"Esgalloth…shut up."

Her younger sister blinked at her, looking up from where she had been folding up some clean bandages. "Pardon?"

"I said…shut up. Ok, I get you're not in a very good mood, but please don't bring it into work. It's unprofessional for starters, and if any of the patients heard you talking in such a manner, all sorts of rumours could start up." She looked back at her sister from where she was taking note of what was left in a cupboard on the far wall.

Esgalloth straightened up and folded her arms across her chest in a defensive gesture. "There's no one in here though."

"But there quite easily could be."

"I'm not stupid Nauralad. I would never discuss family matters in front of civilians."

The younger princess wrote something else down in the book and left it open on a table beside a window so that the ink could dry. "I never said you were stupid," she told her, putting away the quill and ink pot. "Just be careful what you say."

Esgalloth scowled and picked up another bandage, looking at it with disdain before folding it. "I'm right though," she said after a few moments.

Nauralad made a sound of frustration within her throat and span round on her heel to face her sister. "No, you're not. You're completely and utterly wrong Esgalloth, so stop going on about things as though you know everything there is to know about it. You sound like a jealous little cow. And I know you're not normally like that, so please stop giving off the impression that you are."

Esgalloth threw down the bandage she had been folding and removed the band that had been keeping her hair back out of her face. "Well if that's going to be your attitude, then consider me out."

"Out of where?" Nauralad had one hand on her hip and the fingers of the other were rubbing her forehead. She felt like she was going to get a headache if this carried on much longer, even though Elves didn't even get headaches.

"Out of this place," she said bitterly, signing her name out of the checking-in book beside the door. "I'm fed up with working with you. You always talk down to me as if I'm lower than you, even though I'm nearly 300 years older then you!"

"I'm in the middle of training you!"

"You're supposed to be my sister, but you treat me like some servant. Forget it, I'm going." She slammed the door shut behind her, leaving nothing but a painful silence in her wake.

Nauralad stared at the closed door for a second before cursing loudly and throwing the few bandages that Esgalloth had folded up across the floor. Her sister loved to over-react and make a scene of everything. And now Nauralad was down a healer. Just what she needed.

She went and sat down in the window seat, leaning her head heavily against the window and looked out into the sunlit courtyard below. It all seemed perfectly normal out there…no one else in Mirkwood was in the middle of a family crisis with their sister. She almost cried, but bit back her tears. There was no point crying about the things that Esgalloth had said. She was just being stupid, and would probably come back to her senses with time.

The door opened a crack and Ladrenîl peeped his head round. "Is it safe to come in?"

Nauralad just shrugged in response, staying in her place by the window.

The crown prince shuffled in and closed the door softly, making his way over to his sister slowly. "What happened?"

She stayed quiet, focusing her gaze on the outside world, determined not to cry. She was feeling so emotional and mixed up…it wasn't fair.

Ladrenîl pulled up a chair and sat beside her, taking one of her delicate hands in both of his sword-roughened ones. "I just saw Esgalloth storming off in one of her rages…you two had an argument?"

She nodded, liking the small touch he was giving her. But still she kept silent, worried she'd say something bad about her sister if she opened her mouth again.

"She didn't stop to talk to me," he carried on. "Acted as if I wasn't there at all. I think she went into her rooms, because I heard a door slam from down in that direction. She seemed rather…how can I put it…? Agitated?"

Nauralad nodded, swallowing hard before speaking. "We had an argument and she walked out," she told him, her voice soft and barely audible above the noises filtering in through the slightly open window.

"What did you argue about?" he asked, rubbing his fingers over her knuckles.

"She said I treat her like a servant and she should get respect because she's oldest."

"Well that's a load of rubbish. She doesn't have a clue on what to do in this place properly, not yet. She needs you to train her."

"I know! That's what I said. But she just screamed at me and walked out."

"How did this all start? I thought she was fine with you training her. In fact, I heard she was quite willing to learn from her younger sister."

Nauralad scoffed and shook her head. "She was blabbing on about Lothriel and how she gets away with so much because she's the youngest and so on and so forth. She was being so petty and it was annoying me. So I told her to shut up, then she flew off the hook at me. It was as if she had had these thoughts bottled up for ages and they just needed a little shove to get everything pouring out at once."

Ladrenîl just rolled his eyes. "Those two have always clashed a little. Though it's Esgalloth that insinuates it all. If they argue, it's normally her that's started it. She'll argue with our little Loth over the smallest of things, blow everything out of proportion…" He sighed and shook his head, following his sister's gaze out the window. "It's a beautiful day out there…fancy going for a ride?"

"I can't. Now that Esgalloth has stormed out, I need to change the rota around for this place and get someone in here to help me cover the next few days."

"Hang on, you mean she's actually left the healing wards _altogether_?"

She nodded and swung her feet back to the floor. "She's left me right in it. I'm down a healer and we were low in numbers as it was. So now I've really got to find someone else quick."

Ladrenîl placed a hand on her arm before she stood up. "Let me have a talk with her first," he told her, getting to his feet. "I'll see if I can talk her round this rash decision. Maybe give her a few days off to cool down and come back to her senses. But she probably will come back when she discovers she has nothing to do."

"Very well." She stood up with him and hugged him briefly, placing a quick kiss on his cheek. "Hannon lle gwador. See if you can't knock some sense into that girl. I obviously can't."

Ladrenîl chuckled and returned the kiss. "Let me go work my magic." He smiled at her, his blinded eye slightly greyer than his other violent blue one. Nauralad frowned and reached up to take a closer look. "Does it hurt?"

He shook his head. "No. It's been dimming for a few years. I'm starting to look rather odd. I still have the scar as well, see?" He took her hand and brushed her slender fingers over the thin scar above his brow and just below his eye.

She nodded and sighed. "Ah well. Odd is unusual….unusual is individual…and individual is the best way to be."

"Indeed it is. I'll come and see you later."

"I'll start a new rota anyway…just in case. I like to be organised in this place, otherwise it would all fall apart."

Ladrenîl chuckled again and left her to it, heading slowly down the corridor to his other sister's rooms. He passed Gîlorn on the way and inquired as to how his archery practice was coming along. His youngest brother was doing well it seemed and Ladrenîl was pleased. It was mainly Legolas that taught him, as Ladrenîl just did not have the time. It was unfortunate, but being Captain of the Mirkwood Army required a lot of a person's time and effort. He'd give anything to spend more time with his family, hence the reason he had milked his latest injury so much. It had given him the perfect excuse to stay indoors and spend time with his siblings.

Now that it was healed, he had to get back out on that border. And that was something he was not particularly looking forward to. He had enjoyed the last couple of weeks so much…

Ah well, they all had their duties and they all had to attend to them as was proper. He scowled to himself as he came to Esgalloth's door. And now he had to sort out this sibling rivalry…great. A perfect way to spend his last day off…

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"Have you heard about what your daughter did today?"

Thranduil looked up from his reams of papers. His wife was stood beside his window, looking out over the courtyard. "No…which one and what did she do?"

"Esgalloth. She stormed out of the healing wards…left Nauralad completely in the lurch. Said she didn't wish to be taught by her sister any more because she felt like she was being treated as nothing more than a servant."

Thranduil chuckled to himself, tidying the papers together and laying them down. Stretching back in his chair, he shook his head. "Our Esgalloth does tend to have a fiery temper doesn't she?"

"Yes, she does." Aûrel turned to face him, shadows playing across her fair face. "She has inherited it from you it would seem."

"Me?" The king played the innocent, placing one hand against his chest and widening his eyes in mock horror. "My love, whatever do you mean she has inherited her temper from me?"

She raised a delicate eyebrow. She knew Thranduil was far less innocent than he made himself out to be. "You know exactly what I mean."

"Yes, I do." He rose and went to embrace her from behind, looking over her shoulder out of the window. "It's a lovely day out there."

Aûrel nodded, placing her hands over her husband's on her stomach. "It's been a lovely week. Not that you've noticed."

"I've been working, as you know." He kissed the side of her neck lovingly, brushing aside her long golden hair.

"You're always working." She broke free of his grasp and went to the door, leaving him standing there alone. "I'll be in my rooms."

"Aûrel, wait…" But she had already gone.

Thranduil sighed and slumped against the side of his desk, still looking out of the window. It was indeed a lovely day out there, and he wished more than anything that he could go out maybe for a ride with his beautiful wife. But duty called and he could not abandon it now. There was so much to be done and so little time. Summer was a busy time of year…his kingship required his attention.

After a quick drink of water, he returned to his seat and got out a fresh quill. He to write a letter to Elrond regarding a few things. Though he would have to word it delicately…how should he start?

_Lord Elrond… _

No, too formal. He tried again.

_My dear Elrond… _

Now that just looked _wrong. _

_Elrond… _

That would have to do. He sighed, dipped his quill back in the inkpot and started writing.

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**Oo-er. Esgalloth is a stroppy one isn't she. Heh heh. Anyways, reviews VERY welcome, and be seeing you all soon. **

_**Faerlain. **_


	3. And it was all going so well

**New chapter at last lol. Hope you enjoy. **

_**Faerlain**_

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_**Chapter 3: And it was all going so well…**_

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"Oh, you little…I am going to get you for that Greenleaf!"

Legolas' gleeful laugh echoed through the small glen as he ran away from a glaring (and rather wet) Thandiel. The blonde haired female cursed under her breath before chasing after him.

Balamrûn and Cellin were doubled up with laughter as she chased the Prince round and through the trees surrounding their clearing. Legolas was still laughing, dodging out of her way nimbly and quickly. Thandiel was just as light on her feet however, so she was gradually catching up with him.

The four of them were down in a small clearing that sat beside the stream that ran right through the whole of Mirkwood. Legolas had been given some time off from border, only a day or two, but he was using it to his advantage. Thandiel had been lying quite happily on the grass beside the stream, talking with Balamrûn, when Legolas had snuck up behind and thrown water all over her. Balamrûn had only just moved away in time to avoid a soaking himself.

Hence the reason Legolas was now being chased after by a very annoyed Thandiel.

She eventually caught him and pinned him against a tree. Legolas was still laughing, so much so that his breathing was laboured as he giggled at the look on Thandiel's face. The female Elf tightened her hold, but was unable to look serious as she stood there with water still running down her face, and her blonde hair hanging like rats tails.

"Not funny Legolas!"

"I'm…I'm sorry Thandiel…" He was talking in between bouts of laughter. "Just couldn't resist…"

"You never seem to be able to resist," she told him, her temper slowly abating.

Legolas smiled sheepishly, controlling his giggling at last. "Sorry Thandiel…go put on one of my shirts. There are a few spares in my saddle bag."

"Thank you." She released him and stalked over to where his horse Storm was tethered loosely to a tree trunk.

Legolas grinned at the other two and they just grinned back. Keeping their eyes respectively averted whilst Thandiel changed tops, the three of them stood on the edge of the bank, looking down into the water.

"What day do you actually go back out?" Cellin asked, looking sideways at the Prince.

"Day after tomorrow," he replied, kicking a stone into the flowing water. "I would've liked to have till the end of this week off, but…no can do."

"Shame," Balamrûn said, frowning slightly. "It's great when we can actually do stuff together."

"Apart from fight," Cellin put in.

The three friends chuckled. It was true though – the only time the group of friends was together was when they were helping each other out in a fight somewhere, or accompanying each other to someplace such as Rivendell as a scout group. They were never able to have any free time to just relax and do their own thing.

"Maybe next time," Legolas said hopefully. "We'll all do something as a big group again."

Cellin and Balamrûn nodded. "Maybe," Cellin echoed.

"But you don't know when you're next getting some time off," Balamrûn reminded his friend. "It could be ages away yet."

Legolas shrugged gracefully. "What can I do? I, unfortunately, do not have the power to…"

But his words were cut off as Thandiel ploughed into him from behind and shoved him into the water. He yelped and reacted quickly enough to grab her as he span, effectively pulling her down with him.

The two remaining on the bank turned their faces away as water splashed everywhere. When it was safe to look again, they burst into laughter at the sight of a sodden Legolas being straddled by a grinning Thandiel. She was wet again, but by the looks of it, she didn't seem to mind all that much.

It was Legolas' turn to scowl. "Hilarious Thandiel," he said dryly. "I only have one free shirt left you realise."

Thandiel blinked, then jumped to her feet to run over to Storm again. Legolas grabbed her knees to stop her, at the same time pulling himself up and scrambling out onto the bank. Cellin and Balamrûn stepped aside as the pair grappled to get the last shirt first.

Half an hour later, the four were riding back towards the palace. Thandiel was wrapped up in Legolas' last remaining shirt, whilst the Prince had gone without. It was the middle of the summer, so he was soon dry. The same could not be said for his shirt. It was draped over the back of his horse as they made their way back to the palace, and Legolas was scowling as Cellin and Balamrûn commented on his state of partial undress.

"If your father sees you…" Cellin started.

"Don't even say it!" Legolas told him. "I know…he'll kill me. But I refuse to walk around in a soaking wet shirt."

"At least you're not completely naked," Thandiel told him, pushing some of her damp hair away from her face. "Else you might just get ravaged by some of the maidens."

Legolas rolled his eyes. "Its bad enough appearing in public topless as it is…please do not make this any worse for me."

The three of them just grinned at him, and he groaned as he turned back round to face the way they were going. This was not going to be good…

He walked into the courtyard in between Cellin and Thandiel on his horse, Balamrûn trotting just ahead of them. They made their way straight over to the stables, Legolas pointedly avoiding all the looks he was receiving. Thandiel was giggling to herself as she dismounted, and Legolas whacked her slightly as he slipped down to stand beside her. He just got more laughter in response and glared at her. She grinned innocently and started making her way into the palace, soon to be followed by Cellin and Balamrûn.

Legolas had no choice but to follow. He had tucked his nearly-dry shirt into the waistband of his leggings, and he walked across the courtyard as normal, nodding at a few friends.

A group of young girls were stood to one side, and they giggled and grinned amongst themselves as the Prince walked by. Feeling cheeky, he winked at them before going up the steps two at a time and entering the safe semi-darkness of the palace.

Their young, gleeful laughter followed him all the way.

----

Lothriel did a double-take as her brother strode in through the main doors half naked. "Um…Legs…"

"Don't even ask," he told her, glancing her way before heading up the main staircase. "It's a long story," he called down, disappearing round a corner to his room.

Lothriel knew better than to question her brother about such things, so she merely rolled her eyes and carried on out to her gardens, carrying a flask of water and some new seeds in a small pot which she had to sow.

Legolas kicked shut his door and chucked his shirt onto his bed. His leggings were still damp, which felt disgusting. He got undressed and went through to his bathroom.

As he sank into the water, he rolled his shoulders and forced himself to relax. His room was locked, so he was not going to be disturbed. His siblings were all busy elsewhere…all was calm and fine.

He had been in the water about five minutes when a large commotion erupted from out in the courtyard. He groaned. _This cannot be happening to me… _

He got out of his bath, grabbed a robe and padded out onto the balcony.

And prepared to hit his head against the nearest brick wall.

It was complete chaos. A scout had returned from being out on border…well, about half of them had ridden. The others were being supported by their companions, blood seeping out of various wounds.

Legolas hurried back into his room and grabbed a clean pair of leggings and tunic. He shoved them on, brushed his hair though quickly, and grabbed a pair of boots as he ran out of his room and down the corridor.

Meeting Nauralad on the way, carrying a set of fresh blankets back to the healing wards, he told her to prepare several beds. He saw her tense her shoulders and sigh. He reversed and planted a kiss on her cheek, giving her a quick hug before setting off down the hallway again.

Ladrenîl was just coming in through the front doors as Legolas reached the foot of the stairs. The younger Prince could see his brother was completely exhausted. "'Ren..."

The Crown Prince turned tired eyes to Legolas. He forced a weak smile onto his face, even though he was clearly ready to fall asleep on his feet. "Afternoon gwador."

"What on earth has happened?" Legolas asked as people started carrying in unconscious Elves.

"A big fat Orc attack…that's what happened." He rubbed his hands over his face, pushing back his unkempt hair as he did so. Ren..."Prince could see his brother was completely exhausted. "quick kiss on her cheek, giving her a quick al beds. corridor. r

"How many injured?"

"At least 35. About 7 dead."

Legolas cursed and went to look outside. Farriers were leading distressed horses into the cool stables, trying to calm them down. Elves were still helping each other into the palace to get to the healing wards.

The brothers went out and each helped an Elf down from a horse, slinging an arm round his shoulders and helping him limp inside. Legolas' heart caught in his throat as he saw Cullas and Tatharion canter slowly into the courtyard, blood dripping from both of them.

The Princes ran over and helped them down. Legolas took Tatharion whilst Ladrenîl helped Cullas. The horses were seen to as they helped their friends over to the palace steps.

There were a few chairs scattered around in the main entranceway. Legolas and Ladrenîl carefully sat their friends down and gave them some water to sip at. The pair nodded gratefully and drank. They were both muddy and blood-soaked. Legolas was the first to break the silence.

"What happened out there?"

Tatharion put his glass down and wiped his hands on his leggings. "A huge ambush," he answered. "One such as I have never seen before."

"It was planned," Cullas put in, still holding onto his glass. "They were so organised…they knew what they were doing."

"They all came out of nowhere," Tatharion continued. "Suddenly, they just came flooding out of the trees, surrounding us on all sides. They had swords as well as bows and arrows. It seemed we were outnumbered at one point."

"We fought back as hard as we could," Cullas said softly, looking at his feet. "But we lost so many…"

"You did well," Ladrenîl told them firmly. "All of you. You looked after each other and got yourselves out of there. There was nothing more you could have done. There were simply too many of them."

Legolas frowned. "They had planned it?"

His brother nodded. "It certainly seemed that way. Their Captains were still shouting orders out over the crowd, but even when we shot them down, the rest of the Orcs carried on. Normally, once the Captains or leaders are dead, they panic and run. But this lot kept going, like they were possessed." He fingered the scar over his blinded eye briefly, a habit that had popped up whenever the Crown Prince appeared to be nervous or distressed. Legolas had started to notice it a while back.

"What happened next?" Legolas asked.

"We had to fall back," Tatharion told him, meeting his firm blue gaze. "We had no choice."

Legolas nodded. "Good. Never stay in a fight unless you can see you can definitely win. Or at least have some advantage over the enemy."

"There were four of our border scouts involved," Ladrenîl told him. "We are exceedingly short on numbers out there now."

"Right…I'll get some more together to go take over. You three get up to the healing wards and get yourselves seen to. Then try and help Nauralad out. We're not the only ones short on numbers."

His brother and two friends nodded as he got to his feet and sighed. "I'll go tell father the basics," he added. "I'll see you three later."

He hurried up to his father's office and went straight on in after knocking. Thranduil was stood talking to one of the other scout leaders. Both looked at him as he entered. "Forgive my abrupt entrance father, but I need to inform you of some things."

"Thoron here has already told me a great deal," Thranduil answered his son.

"I understand that father. But I am just here to tell you I am gathering some others together to go and take over where the others have come from. We are short on groups on the border now."

The King nodded. "Very well. Thank you Legolas. Where is your brother?"

"Ladrenîl is in the healing wards with Tatharion and Cullas. I sent them up there to get cleaned up and help Nauralad. There are many injured."

"Ok then. You carry on and do what is necessary. Report back to me when you get home."

"Yes father." He bowed, and left as quickly as he had come.

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**Woo, some action! Yay. Hope you liked it. Keep your eyes open for the next chapter. Reviews greatly appreciated!!**

_**Faerlain**_


	4. Silence and Separation

**After receiving a few reviews, I felt it only nice of me to FINALLY update. **_**Hangs head in shame. **_**I have worked on this story some more, and feel it is near completion. The reason I have not updated in about 7 months is because I have had a distinct lack of inspiration, as well as free time. **

**Sincere apologies again, and keep an eye out for the rest coming (hopefully) much sooner than another 7 months. **

_**Faerlain**_

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_**Chapter 4: Silence and Separation**_

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The Royal Family were silent as they ate their dinner that night. There were seats pointedly empty. Ladrenîl was missing, as he had ridden out shortly after Legolas to help his brother. Legolas of course was gone too. Gîlorn had accompanied them, as they needed all the extra help they could get. And Nauralad was still busy up in the healing wards.

The two remaining children and their mother ate in silence. Thranduil was up away in his office, discussing problems with his advisors and Captains. It had been a very bad day.

Lothriel picked at her food morosely. She'd completely lost her appetite. Esgalloth, who was sat opposite, was avoiding her gaze and remaining completely silent.

Aûrel had already given up on eating, and was sipping at her glass of water instead. She watched her two daughters carefully, feeling the tension radiating off of both of them. But there was nothing she could say. Right now, they all had different things on their mind. Now was not the time to bring up petty arguments.

"May I be excused mother?" Lothriel finally asked, putting down her knife and fork.

Aûrel nodded. "Of course you can…off you go."

Lothriel nodded her thanks and left without another word. Aûrel looked to Esgalloth, but the eldest daughter was avoiding her gaze as well, her eyes completely fixed on the tabletop.

"You can go as well if you wish to Esgalloth," she said softly.

The Princess nodded and rose to her feet. The Queen followed suit, still watching her daughter carefully. "Is there something wrong my dear?"

Esgalloth shook her head, pushing her chair under. "Nothing mother." Her voice was emotionless.

Aûrel sighed. "Very well. But if you need to talk…"

"Yes…I know." She faked a smile for the Queen. "Thank you."

Aûrel hugged herself as her daughter walked out of the hall in silence. She felt so helpless. All of her beloved children were off doing their own thing now…and the majority of them were in danger most of the time. What could she do to make everything feel alright again?

Life had definitely changed since the deaths of Hithaer and Sîladiel. Anyone with eyes could see that. As she made her way out of the hall, her trouble mind went over recent events. It had been over 500 years since her eldest daughter had killed herself, yet the image of her cold and lifeless face still haunted the Queens' thoughts and dreams. Aûrel felt as though she had come through the worst times nearly unscathed, but there would always be a part of her that mourned and hurt for her two dead children.

Her feet wandered ahead of the Queen's mind, and soon she found herself in Lothriel's garden. The Princess had clearly gone to her room instead of coming out here. Aûrel had not looked around it properly since her daughter had returned from Rivendell, so she felt she should take this opportunity to do so.

Still hugging her arms to herself, though not as tightly as before, she walked along the gravel path that led through the garden. Lothriel had planted flowering shrubs along one side of the path, which in turn backed onto a high wall. Aûrel knew from memory that that was the wall that the Orcs had clambered over a few centuries ago to try and get Lothriel. She shivered slightly and carried on walking.

The flowers were all still open, as the sun was nowhere near set yet. This was why Aûrel liked summer. The evenings were long and it was light until much later in the evening. The sweet scent of the plants made her smile softly to herself as she walked, and she took in the bright colours that surrounded her. Lothriel certainly knew how to make a garden look pretty and well-kept.

She came to the end of her daughter's garden and went through a gate back into the main palace gardens. The marble fountain stood in the centre of the lawn as it had done for as long as the Queen could remember, and slowly she made her way over to sit on the wall that ran around it.

Dipping her slender hand into the rippling water, she swirled her finger around, making random patterns. She looked at her reflection. Blonde hair cascaded down over her slim shoulders, pale blue eyes stared back out of a pale and drawn face. She was tired, and she looked it.

Maybe her children were not the only ones who needed time off.

But she could not abandon her husband as such a difficult time. Thranduil needed someone there to support him behind the scenes, someone to hold him up when no one else could. Aûrel was that someone. As much as she wanted to get away from the chaos for a while, she couldn't. The Queen had duties to attend to as well. Her job was not just to stand beside her King and look pretty, nor to bring children into this world and raise them. There were more emotional needs to see to.

As she gazed down at her rippling reflection, her thoughts went to her sons. All three of them were out on border, probably galloping around like lunatics, trying to get everything back into some form of order. Today's ambush had unsettled every single Elf in Mirkwood for one reason or another. The healing wards were packed fit to bursting with the injured and their loved ones who were trying to visit them and find out just how badly they were injured. Nauralad was on the verge of breaking down.

Aûrel had finally taken matters into her own hands just before dinner. She had heard how crazy things had gotten up there, so up she had stormed in all her grace and pride. Upon entering the healing wards, all eyes had turned to her and everything had gone completely silent.

"Everyone who is not injured or attending to someone…out," she had said simply, her voice sharp and instructive.

The people had done as she had ordered. They filed out in silence, heads bowed as though ashamed of their behaviour. She had watched them all carefully as they left, hands on her hips. When the last person had gone and shut the door behinds them, she had looked over to see her daughter nearly crying with relief. She had then helped out until dinnertime.

She should probably go back up there to see how Nauralad was getting on. Most of the injured were settled and comfy now, but there were still important things to be seen to.

Getting to her feet, she dried her hand off on her skirts and left the gardens. People nodded and bowed to her as she walked by, and she regarded them with a warm smile. Her short time alone in the gardens had calmed her somewhat, and she felt ready to face the world once more.

----

"Ok...I can understand them attacking us. It's in their nature to do so, as it is in ours to fight back. But burning the forest as well…"

Legolas and the other Elves looked around them in disbelief. They were standing in what used to be a very green and healthy part of their forest. Now all that remained were blackened stumps where trees used to stand, and smouldering grasses and plants on the ground.

The hooves of their horses stepped delicately over the still warm ground as the group picked their way carefully through the ravaged undergrowth. The Prince was scowling in anger.

_These Orcs are dead… _

He could hear Ladrenîl's group a short way off to his left. By the sounds of it, they had discovered a similar situation.

The brothers met further down the path, and both could see the anger written clearly across the others face. "Now what do we do?" Legolas asked, reining his horse in.

"Kill them," Ladrenîl replied simply, his voice flat and dangerous. "Kill every single one of them."

His brother nodded and turned to look at the group that they had assembled. They were a mixed bunch…male and female, some more trained than others. Gîlorn nodded dutifully at him as Legolas' gaze passed over him, and Legolas gave him a small smile before turning his eyes back to Ladrenîl. "Shall we separate now?"

Ladrenîl nodded. "You take Gîlorn and half the group. I'll take the rest."

Legolas swallowed hard. "Um…can't you take Gîlorn?"

Ladrenîl frowned and turned to question his brother when he saw the look of fear in Legolas' eyes. Immediately, he understood. Legolas still hadn't forgiven himself for Hithaer's death, and the Crown Prince doubted that he ever really would. Legolas didn't trust himself to take care of a scout group and his younger brother at the same time.

"I'll take Gîlorn," he said softly, leaning over to clasp his brother's hand briefly. Legolas suddenly looked very small and young, very…vulnerable. "Let's split the group in half and go opposite ways. Try to spread yourselves out, but stay close enough to keep within hearing distance, ok?"

Legolas nodded and went about separating the group up. With him he had Tatharion and Thandiel, whilst Balamrûn went with his brother. He knew that Thandiel hated to be apart from Balamrûn, but what could he do? They needed a good set of warriors in each group, and so they had to be split up. They were both too good to be kept in one group.

As they rode off, he saw Thandiel glancing back to look at her lover one last time. He went over and took hold of her hand. "You understand, don't you?" he asked, looking at her.

She nodded, forcing a smile onto her face for him. "Of course I do Legolas. Don't worry." She squeezed his hand, and then kicked her heels into her horse's flanks to canter ahead a little way.

Legolas sighed to himself and followed suit. Life just got harder and harder these days.

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**Reviews would be absolutely wonderful. Apologies again, and see you all soon. Hope you're all doing ok! **


	5. Weary Dreams of Perhaps

**I appear to be on a roll!! Here's another chapter for (what I hope is) your reading pleasure. Enjoy! **

_**Faerlain**_

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_**Chapter 5: Weary Dreams of Perhaps.**_

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It was a weary group of Elves that made their way back into the courtyard three days later in the early hours of the morning. Ladrenîl led them in whilst Legolas brought up the rear. They were all ready to fall off their horses with exhaustion. None had dared to rest whilst they patrolled around the areas where the four groups had previously been. They had needed their wits about them the entire time.

The brothers bade them go rest, and headed inside themselves. The courtyard was more or less deserted, just a few farriers and servants walking around. They made their way in silently, hoping not to disturb anyone.

Barely a word had passed between them since they had spilt off into two groups. They had met up frequently over the following three days, just to check on each other and tell each other of what they had found. Neither group encountered any Orcs except dead ones, which was in itself a blessing. No one was really up for a fight after the last disaster.

Ladrenîl and Legolas made their way wearily up the main staircase, both untying their hair as they did so. Gîlorn bade them goodnight and headed off to his own room. Legolas glanced at his older brother as he pulled on a little tangle. Ladrenîl looked completely lost in thought as he let his blonde hair hang down straight around his shoulders.

"Fancy a drink?" the younger of the two asked.

Ladrenîl looked at him with a small smirk. "You have the most wonderful ideas Legs. As long as it's alcoholic…I think I'd drink anything right now."

They made their way to Legolas' rooms, tiptoeing along the main corridor. Legolas had long ago started stashing various wine bottles away in his room, and now he produced two of his hidden store. Ladrenîl laughed softly from where he was seated barefoot and cross-legged on his brother's bed. "Always prepared for anything."

"That's me," Legolas replied with a grin, handing him a bottle.

Ladrenîl quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing as Legolas uncorked his own bottle and drank straight from the neck. He followed suit, sighing happily as the cool liquid passed down his throat. "That's better."

His younger brother nodded and sat beside him, leaning his head tiredly on Ladrenîl's shoulder. The Crown Prince put his arm around Legolas' shoulders and carried on drinking, breathing in the woodland scent of Legolas' hair. How come his younger brother never got dirty??

Legolas nestled his head into the crook of Ladrenîl's shoulder, sipping at his drink every now and then. He had kicked his boots off and now had his legs curled up to one side as he leant against Ladrenîl.

The pair of them sat in a comfortable silence as they drank. All their responsibility had weighed down heavily on them over the last few days, and they were both feeling the strain.

But what were they to do? They were the two eldest children of Mirkwoods' King…both sons, both old enough to take it all. They had been in the world long enough to know its wicked ways. Life had dealt them harsh blows in the past and they had come through them all together. They could take this one too.

"Sleep," Ladrenîl told his younger brother. "You look exhausted."

Indeed, Legolas' eyes were half shut as he leant against his brother. "I'm fine," he mumbled, taking another deep swallow of wine.

Ladrenîl peeled the bottle out of his brother's grasp and placed it on the floor. With a finger, he pushed his brother off of him so that the younger fell back onto the bed with a small groan of protest. Taking one more swallow himself, he leant back and made his way to lean against the pillows, pulling his brother with him. Legolas was growling something at him, but Ladrenîl took no notice. He was too tired to argue with Legolas now.

He positioned Legolas so that he was curled up under his arm and he settled down against the pillows, spooning himself against Legolas. He saw his brother smile and smiled softly to himself.

An arm snaked around him as Legolas made himself comfortable, slowly drifting off to sleep. Ladrenîl played with strands of the blonde hair cascading over Legolas' shoulders before he too, fell asleep.

----

"You know how sometimes, you wish to capture a scene and keep it forever in your pocket, apart from just in your mind?"

"Yes."

"I've got one like that to show you."

Lothriel led her mother along the hallway silently by the hand, smiling softly. "Look in Legolas' room," she told her in a whisper, stopping outside the door.

Aûrel frowned in puzzlement, but opened the door and peered round.

Her two eldest sons were curled up on Legolas' bed, blonde hair mixing in a delicate pattern against the clean white of the pillows. Both were fast asleep, arms wrapped around each other. Legolas' head was nestled into the crook of Ladrenîl's neck, and one of Ladrenîl's hands was lying still behind Legolas' head, a few golden strands intertwined with his slender fingers. They were still dressed in the clothes they had ridden out in four days previous.

The sun had been up for at least four hours, yet still the pair slept. Aûrel smiled to herself and looked over her shoulder at Lothriel. The Princess was grinning as she too peeped around the door at her sleeping brothers.

"They must be exhausted," the Queen whispered, the glowing warmth in her heart pierced by a small stab of fear and guilt for letting them go alone for so long. "Let them sleep."

Lothriel nodded, standing aside to let her mother pass. She shut the door without a sound, locking it so that no one would disturb them. She followed the Queen back down the hallway to her chambers, greeting a few people along the way.

But Aûrel did not return to her rooms. Instead, Lothriel found herself standing outside of her fathers study. "Naneth…?"

"Stay with me Lothriel, if you please."

Her mother's voice was cold, quite stern. Lothriel sensed an argument on the horizon between her parents. "Of course I shall stay naneth."

They entered to see Thranduil sat in his chair beside the open window, looking down into the busy courtyard. He was tapping the end of a quill against his chin thoughtfully, an unfinished letter placed on his desk.

He turned his head as the pair entered. "Good morning my dears. What can I do for you?"

"You can sort out this dratted army!" Aûrel told him with a flash of anger in her eyes. She stalked over to his desk and leant down on it, glaring at him. Thranduil straightened up and put his quill down. "Your sons only returned last night," she added in a hiss. "They are exhausted."

"I expect they are," he replied. "They did stay out for three days."

"Which is far too long." Aûrel's lip curled in disgust. "Why did you not send out any replacement scouts?"

"Because we did not have enough Elves. They are all still recovering from the last attack."

"You don't have your entire army holed up in the healing wards Thranduil," she reminded him, folding her arms across her chest. Lothriel hadn't seen her mother this angry in a very long time. A part of her was happy that Aûrel seemed to be back to her old self. But another part was frightened of what the outcome of this was to be. And why had she been dragged into it too?

Thranduil got to his feet and went round to his wife, who glared at him icily all the way. He gently placed his hands on her arms, rubbing them slowly as though to calm her. "It was their choice to go and remain out there for so long."

"That is not the point I am trying to make here Thranduil. The point is that you _let _them go for so long, and sent out no replacements for them so that they could come and rest. They must have crawled in at some ungodly hour this morning. Both Ladrenîl and Legolas are fast asleep on Legolas' bed, still dressed in the clothes they left in. And as for Gîlorn…well, I have no clue as to his whereabouts!"

"He is also in his room," Lothriel told her softly. "Fast asleep."

Aûrel looked at her husband once more. He lowered his hands. "You see? Gîlorn is little over a thousand and is already spending far too much time on the border. As King, it is your duty to oversee the army and what tasks they attend to. Do not leave it all to your sons!"

"The army cannot just be on border all of the time. That is what the scout groups are for."

"I know that Thranduil. But don't you think this situation was a little bit different? A bit of an emergency, you might say. You were four scouts down out there. Ladrenîl and Legolas took out a total that would have just covered two groups. Two groups of Elves, some not as experienced as others, to cover an area that four, well-trained scouts normally guard. Something has gone seriously wrong with your organisation here Thranduil."

"Now that was a little harsh," he told her. He had stayed surprisingly calm so far…Lothriel was impressed. "It was an emergency, as you say, and so something had to be organised very quickly. That was the best we could do in the circumstances."

Aûrel was shaking her head. "It was not enough. You have the largest Elven army in Middle Earth, yet you had a shortage of guards on your border, which you are so fanatical about protecting. What has happened to the rest of them? The other Elves whoa re always in training for whatever battles they may face, hmm?" A look came onto her face to show a thought had suddenly dawned on her. "That's where they were…they were all in training still." Her eyes flashed with anger again and she placed a hand against her head in exasperation. "They were in the practice fields…with wooden swords and small bows and arrows, firing at those ridiculous targets…how could you Thranduil?! How could you let your sons go out there, with an extreme shortage of Elves to guard _your _borders, when you had an entire _army _stashed away safely back here?!"

"Calm yourself Aûrel!" Thranduil was angry too now. Lothriel had seen his control start to slip away slowly, and now the neutral mask came crashing down. "This is not the way to react about such things!"

"You have driven me to this! You, with your so-called leadership skills and uncaring personality! Ladrenîl and Legolas were in so much danger out there. They need the support that the army can give them. But you…you didn't…" She wiped away a few tears that had slipped out unnoticed. "You let them go," she finished softly, finally turning away from her husband in despair.

Thranduil felt his heart hit the floor. He knew he had done wrong to let the two of them go out alone with Gîlorn. But he knew as well as anyone else that the Princes were well capable of looking after themselves. Aûrel was over-reacting. Not that he could blame her after what had happened to their other children. He supposed she still feared, and always would do, for the lives of the others. He had made an error, and he knew so. But he could not admit it out loud.

He caught his daughter's gaze, and was dismayed to see that she held no emotion in her face. Her expression was as plain and unreadable as uncarved stone. She was having no outward spoken opinion within this argument, yet he could see from the look on her face that she agreed with her mother.

"I am sorry Aûrel," he said eventually, looking at his wife's back. She did not turn to him. "My judgement was bad and I understand that. But in such times we have to act quickly, and sometimes acting so quickly makes us act irrationally and we do not think things out properly as we should do in normal circumstances."

"In normal circumstances?" Aûrel said bitterly. "And what circumstances would those be may I ask?"

"I do not know," he admitted. "What more do you want me to say?"

"I want you to promise me never to do such a thing again."

He frowned. "What do you mean exactly?"

She finally turned round to look at him. "Do not let my beloved children go out alone without so much as a decent sized patrol! It makes clear enough sense to me Thranduil!" Her voice was rising again, and there were clear tear stains on her porcelain face.

"I do not organise the patrol scouts! I do not say who goes with which group Aûrel, you need to understand this! I merely know how many guards we have and where the certain groups patrol. I have no idea who is in which."

"Well maybe you should!" Lothriel could see her mother had her fists clenched at her sides and she was shaking finely with anger. "It seems you do not know enough about your own army Thranduil. I think it is about time you changed that."

"We all have our limits Aûrel, including me! I cannot keep control of everything that is happening all at once."

"But you are the King! You were born to be such and you have been brought up to have higher limits than the rest of us."

Thranduil's voice was also louder now. Lothriel found herself cowering against one wall as the anger seeped off her parents in waves. The room was becoming colder as the pair shouted at each other. Surely the whole of Mirkwood could hear them.

"There comes a time when every person reaches a point where they cannot go on any further. Maybe it is my time for that. Maybe I have discovered, as King of Mirkwood, that I cannot look after everything that I would like to look after. I have my advisors and other such counsellors constantly going on at me to do this and do that, but I only have one pair of hands and one mind. I cannot do everything Aûrel!"

"You mean you are not capable of keeping one eye on your family and one on your work you mean?"

"Now what are you going on about?"

Aûrel scoffed. "Is it not obvious? Your children and I are feeling so separated from you recently Thranduil. We all love you as a husband and father, but we see nothing of you. You are always locked away in this stupid little room with your documents and advisors. You care so much about Mirkwood that you forget your own family!"

"Naneth!"

The three in the study turned to see Legolas stood in the doorway, one hand on the door handle. Ladrenîl was stood beside him, glowering at both his parents. Legolas held out one hand and Lothriel ran to him, cuddling herself against him as he wrapped one arm around her protectively.

Ladrenîl stepped past his younger siblings and looked to his parents. "What is the matter?" he asked in his soft, calm voice. "The whole palace is shaking with your words."

"A slight exaggeration I feel Ladrenîl…" Thranduil started.

"I do not think I am the one exaggerating here father!" Ladrenîl hissed, dark and light eyes flashing on him angrily. "Both of you are behaving like Elflings, and already, it is tearing us apart. Look at us…your children against you. Lothriel is so scared she's shaking."

The Princess was currently clinging onto her brother for dear life, small tears leaking out of her cerulean eyes. Legolas was holding her tight and close, whispering soothing words to her. At some point he had shut the door and was leaning against it, cradling Lothriel between his long arms. He looked up to turn sad sapphire eyes to his mother, then his father.

The looks alone broke the Queen. She finally burst into hysterical tears, slumping down into the chair opposite Thranduil's ornately carved seat. Ladrenîl went to her side, crouching down to slip his arms round her shoulders and embrace her comfortingly. He whispered to her in Elven soothingly, his deep voice calming her somewhat till she sat there quietly, just sniffing every now and then.

Thranduil was back beside his window, looking out and down into the courtyard. "Legolas…take your sister to her rooms," he told the Prince in a monotonous tone.

Legolas straightened up defensively. "Anything you have to say you can say in front of us adar," he told him.

Thranduil turned back round to argue, but seeing four members of his own family watching him carefully, his shoulders slumped wearily and he sat down. "Fine. Stay."

"Now what has been going on?" Ladrenîl asked again. "Waking up to the sounds of our parents arguing was not nice for Legolas and I. We are both still tired and slightly bedraggled." Indeed, the pair were still in the same clothes. "We want to have a bath, but we cannot relax whilst there is this much anger hanging around. From the few shouts we heard, we have gathered that your argument has something to do with us. We feel we deserve to know."

Legolas was nodding in agreement. "Are you upset naneth?" he asked softly, looking at his mother. "Did it pain you for us to leave so suddenly?"

"And for so long," Aûrel told him with a tired nod. "I was worried."

Legolas led his sister over to kneel at his mothers' feet, leaning his chin on her knee and gazing up at her. Lothriel was snuggled under one of his arms as she too, looked up at the Queen. "But we're ok," he told her softly, taking one of her trembling hands in his. "See, we're all back here well and safe."

Legolas' words soothed her slightly and she managed a weak smile. "I know you are Greenleaf," she replied in a hushed tone, rubbing her fingers over his. "I know you are."

"Then why the anger?" he asked. "Why the worry and the sorrow?"

"It is a mothers' duty to worry about her children when they go riding off into unknown dangers without protection."

"We were protected well enough," Ladrenîl assured her.

Aûrel scoffed, glancing back at her husband again. Thranduil was pointedly looking the other way. "Ask your father if he agrees," she said coldly. "Ask him if he feels he let you have enough warriors."

"Aûrel…" the King said warningly. "We have been through this already. We do not need to repeat ourselves."

"Do you think adar let us go out without enough guards?" Ladrenîl asked his mother.

She nodded. "Yes, I do."

"We were fine," Legolas told her, still holding onto her hand. "We had enough for the three of us."

"And we are capable of keeping an eye on ourselves," Ladrenîl added.

"It is not just that…" She sighed, trying to bring her words together. "There were just not enough of you out there full stop. Four groups had had to retire, and two were not enough to replace them all. You had a lot of work to do and not enough Elves to tackle it all at once."

"This was a one-off thing," Ladrenîl told her. "And we knew that."

"But there were others available that could have gone with you," Aûrel told her eldest.

He frowned. "How do you mean?" He looked at the King, who was looking back out of his window. "Adar?"

Thranduil turned round. "They were on the training fields," he told him, though it seemed he was addressing them all.

"The rest of the army?" Legolas asked incredulously.

His father nodded. "Yes…"

"You mean we could have had more anyway?"

"Yes Legolas, you could."

His face showed complete disbelief. "But you said…we were told that there were no more available…"

"Adar didn't know that," Ladrenîl pointed out. "He does not know who comes and who goes with which groups, right adar?"

Thranduil nodded, grateful that at least one member of his family was standing up for him. "That is what I have been trying to explain to your mother. I cannot keep track of every single little thing. That is one of the reasons you have been given these different tasks as my sons. You are well able enough to take care of such things without me having to worry about them too."

The two Princes nodded. "Very well," Legolas said, his expression returning to neutral.

"Believe me…if I had known the numbers, I would have sent you out with more." Thranduil ran a hand through his hair and sat back down in his chair, looking at all four of them. "You know I would have."

Legolas got back to his feet, pulling Lothriel with him. "I shall see you at dinner," he told them. "Come Lothriel."

The pair of them left without another backward glance. Legolas shut the door quietly, and Ladrenîl got to his feet. "Can I leave you alone now without you tearing down the walls in here?"

Thranduil managed a small chuckle. "No…you go freshen up son. Thank you."

Ladrenîl wasn't entirely sure what his father was thanking him for but he nodded and kissed his mother's cheek. "See you at dinner," he said, echoing his brothers' words as he left.

The King looked at his wife once they were alone in the silence. Aûrel was looking at her clasped hands in her lap, contemplating her thoughts and what had just happened. Thranduil cleared his throat and she looked up. "Can you forgive me Aûrel?" he asked. "For my error in judgement?"

"If my sons can, I can," she said, her voice soft and devoid of all anger. She stood gracefully, smoothing down her skirts. Before she left, she rubbed away any signs of tears on her cheeks and made sure her hair was neat. Thranduil came up beside her and kissed her cheek. "You look fine mellonnen," he assured her. "See you at…"

"…dinner," she finished for him, nodding and returning the kiss before leaving quickly.

She walked down the corridor back to her chambers, back straight and face completely free of any emotion. She nodded at those who greeted her and walked as a Queen should walk – tall and proud. Her dress swirled around her ankles, the material making soft brushing sounds against the rug on the floor.

As she entered her rooms, she shut her eyes with a sigh and leant against the door when she shut it, letting out a breath she did not realise she had been holding. She had needed that argument, in a way she could not describe even to herself. Aûrel bottled a lot of her emotions up, and this had been the flick of the switch that had sent her over the edge.

At least she and her husband had been quite open with each other. That was a rare occurrence in itself. Thranduil normally never let any of his family know when he knew he had made a mistake.

She went over to her dressing table, taking out her few braids and brushing her golden hair out so that it hung in a shimmering wave down her back. The rhythmic brushing motion relaxed her, as it was something she knew and could relate to.

Perhaps things would get better now. Perhaps such things would be considered properly and thought about, now that she had voiced her opinion on what had happened.

Perhaps.

* * *

**Hope that was ok for you all. Reviews very welcome, as I do like to know what you all think. See you soon. **


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